Managed to get the BEST vintage sweater coat this past year. This store has an ever-changing selection of high quality vintage apparel. If you have never visited 40 South Street in JP, now is the time! read more

Went here with some friends with really high hopes because of everyone saying it's a great place. However, we found the owner to be quite rude. Me and my friends were searching through the clothing and making sure to fold everything back up once we were done and the owner came over to us and made a few comments about us making a mess and then was watching over our shoulders the whole time. In my very personal opinion if you want someone to buy something from you maybe don't be so demeaning to them read more

Love everything about this place. If you're looking for unique vintage / thrift this place is a gem. Small but absolutely packed with variety. They have a wonderfully curated selection of women's, men's, bags, jewelry, and shoes. Mostly from the mid century through the early 00s with pieces from other eras sprinkled in. Great music and a super friendly owner. I left with some amazing unique pieces that I could never find anywhere else. Overall, my favorite kind of vintage shopping experience. I want to go back soon! This might be my new favorite vintage store in Boston. read more

Forty South Street is the hybrid of former menswear shop Gumshoe meets Hilken Mancini's feminine vintage wonderland. Whereas before the Gumshoe hours were sporadic and weekends-only, Forty South Street has expanded hours: Thursday-Sunday. Finally a real life vintage store in Jamaica Plain where women's stuff isn't some haphazard find (Boomerang's). I love, love, love the menswear here, though I can't wait to see what incredible womenswear pops up. Oh, and there's always an amazing soundtrack to shop to. Get brunch on Sunday and head over to Forty South St. to buy your afternoon ensemble. Gumshoe had amazing sales; I hope this place keeps up the generosity. read more

40 South Street - Shop til you drop! - Used, Vintage & Consignment Near Me - Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts

Fantastic mid-century to 90s selections - grabbed a 90s striped Ben Sherman dress and floral Peter Pan collar early 70s/late 60s top for a steal (for vintage/retro.) I even saw a dress that was a 70s does 20s look if you're looking to go Downton Abbey on a budget that isn't true 20s friendly. Great, fair prices, well curated selection, awesome jewelry and shoes. I enjoyed talking to the owner - she was super chill and friendly and obviously took great pride in what she did and her selection of wares. I can't wait to come back (all the way from Wakefield) and had to restrain myself from buying a few more items. This vintage fiend gives 40 South Street an A+. read more

Lovely! My grandson purchased great classical albums & a shirt which highlighted the trip. The store was clean and well stocked! The owner greeted us with a warm welcome & lots of exciting knowledge about the store... Highly recommend!!! read more

This place used to be Gumshoe and when it was Gumshoe it was AWESOME, but always open weird hours! Well, they repainted the place, made it even MORE awesome and are now open pretty regular weekend hours as well as they open at 12 noon most days! Check this place out for: Members only jackets, they have a huge colorful selection! Denim, especially guys vintage ones NEW period stuff - unlike most "hand-picked" vintage stores these days, 40 South Street still has a HUGE selection of actual 70's 80's etc stuff in almost NEW condition! Check out the old reviews here http://www.yelp.com/biz/gumshoe-jamaica-plain#hrid:S2kMbcpQkpHs4vUEWfkDWQ read more

Hilken is amazing and had me trying on so many gorgeous vintage dresses for my holiday party that night (I had procrastinated pretty badly.) I ended up leaving with a really gorgeous long green corduroy dress that was just to die for (and in WONDERFUL condition for its age!), and will be back to comb through her selection of accessories and jewelry, for sure. Everyone in the store (other customers included!) was so friendly and pleasant that I'm really not sure where the outlier negative reviews on this page came from, but I can say definitively that my experience was good and the only reason I didn't leave with two gorgeous vintage dresses is that I really can't be spending that much on myself without my holiday shopping fully done :) read more

Adorable little store packed with vintage, consigned, and retro-inspired goodies. The front of the store has the women's selection, the back part of the store has the men's selection. You step into the store and they currently have their dresses easy to peruse on 4-armed racks grouped by size. Most looked like they were from the 1940s-1970s and many had belts paired hanging off the hanger hook. All very wearable. There was an adorable baby blue dress with a bright blue bird print that a little too big for me. On the left were sweaters, shirts, and skirts and a sale rack. On the right were shoes and jackets. Some of the shoes I checked out were in like new condition, no scuffing on the soles! However, overall the selection for petites was pretty limited. The men's selection was bigger with shirts, sweaters, vests, jackets, ties, and jeans. Prices were moderate and pretty affordable. The sales associate was very nice and friendly. An excellent reason to make the trek to JP. read more

Don't go here. Leave all the amazing clothes and the experience and the trinkets and the awesome people that shop there and work there to me. Do not go here. read more

At first, I meekly tip-toed into the front room, but I soon realized that the real adventure was in the back: a room full of jeans in all sizes, all fits, and most standard colors! This room alone made the trip worth taking. Many boutiques and department stores never have this many options! Outside of jeans, the rest of the clothes for the masculine-ly inclined are within the gray space of urban twentysomething-year-old street clothes. Nothing to write home about, but again the selection is great and the prices aren't too bad either. The space is tight for sure, but most folks were respectful and the dressing rooms were fine. read more

AWESOME STORE. :D I stumbled upon this store while reading Yelp 2 Friday's ago and I was surprised to see so many 5 star reviews. That alone convinced me to check it out so I called the store and was given detailed directions to get there from Back Bay. I hopped on the 39 bus that took a whole hour! Luckily, I still had an hour left to shop. The small store had the women's section in the front packed with shirts and skirts neatly hung and racks of dresses organized by size. There is a good selection of vintage boots also organized by size that looked really nice. I grabbed a few pieces to try on in the dressing room and there are two. I then ventured into the back to sift through the men's section for my boyfriend, and boy oh boy, so many shirts to choose from! I love shopping for him and I was truly amazed at all the options for guys! Sam, the guy who was working, showed me the back room where they keep the men's vintage denim, jackets, courduroys, and cut offs. There were stacks upon stacks to choose from, you really could spend a few hours trying on colors and sizes. He was so friendly and also helpful when I asked for his opinion on which denim jacket to get for my boyfriend. He tried them on, explained what he thought was cooler, and asked me what type of fit my bf's style was. I picked up a vintage navy blue polka dotted dress (which recently came in and I was told another girl had wanted to put on hold, but they don't do holds) and a new necklace for myself. For the boyfriend, I picked up a blue gingham short sleeve button up for $14 (also newly brought in) and a vintage medium blue Levi's denim jacket (discounted for $38). Prices are very reasonable and there seem to be sales going on all summer but more so for older items. All in all, rad shopping experience and worth the long bus ride and the sweat poured out digging for treasures! read more

So, I went in here the other day expecting something pretty kick-ass, and was mildly disappointed. I LOVE that they actually have their clothes organized by size, but I didn't find anything that I liked. Maybe I just went on a bad day, but everything on the racks was...frumpy. Not the cool vintage finds I was hoping for. BUT...the boots! Oh, the boots! If only I didn't have such giant feet, I would have bought lots and lots of boots! They were cheap, high-quality, and in great condition. There were even plentiful sizes. Just no 11s... read more

Disregarding the insulting "review" below (damn, maybe you had a bad experience due to your poor outlook on other people? Just a thought.)... There aren't many vintage options here in the city and this is one of my favorites. Eclectic selection, there's always something new to see. It's 60s and on, very clearly, and the selection is seasonal. They also have loads of men's stuff! Tiny little shop, so you know everything has been picked thoughtfully, which I like. Not like G.D. which is just a hit or miss grab bag of whatever they've had donated at the time and is mostly actually junk. Staff has always been sweet and helpful when I have questions about things or where to possibly find other things I'm looking for. I alwayyyysss end up buying something when I come here, sorry, bank account. read more

LOVE THIS PLACE. The people who work here are very sweet, and the clothes! Oh, the clothes! Beautifully curated selection of vintage clothing and accessories. The cowboy boot/leather jacket section is great too. 40 South has been 5 stars ever since it got more normal hours and a credit card machine. Amazing little store! read more

I was so excited to go to this place after reading all of the reviews and I was disappointed. I get that it's a second hand store so the stock is constantly changing but I didn't realize how small the store is! It's hard to have good luck when the selection is small. I didn't find anything I was even tempted to buy and I was a little bummed. As for selection - when I went there were a LOT of 80s or vintage looking sweaters. Also a fair number of shorts. Not a lot of dresses (boo!) and it's hard to reach the boots to try them on - they're high up on a shelf (like I said, space is at a premium). If you're looking for jackets/coats and dresses, might not be the place for you. Sweaters that look like my 3rd grade picture - you're in luck. Or maybe I just went on a bad day. read more

I would waste money here any day. All of the stuff they have to offer is great. I am a big fan of the dresses but they are usually too long for me so i'll hesitate on buying them due to the future work of the hemming and the sewing i'd have to do. Great accessories and boots.. and they have a huge men's section! When I dropped by last weekend they had opened The whole back room up and turned it into an extended men's section. 50's, 60's cardigans and dresses here are just waiting for you to add them to your wardrobe. It's totally worth the lame bus ride out to Jamaica Plains to go see what they've got to offer. Then while you're out there you can enjoy all the other fun and cute things Jamaica Plains has to offer :) read more

Wow - I just love the way they re-designed this shop (formerly Gumshoe)! I used to be so envious of my husband for all the cool vintage hand-picked and cheap stuff he could get here, but now that they have women's clothes as well there is reason to be mad anymore... They have some truly awesome fashion here (plus some jewelry and accessories), and the shop looks so much nicer now, too! Cool deco (I LOVE the lamps - wish they would sell them...), super-nice, friendly atmosphere, good music - it's a pleasure to walk in and browse (even though the space is very limited). My suggestion: buy some cool vintage fashion here, spice it up (if necessary) with some great accessories from Salmagundi (on the opposite side of the street), and you're bound to be the star at the next party! read more

This place has awesome clothes for men and women. My husband and I live in Somerville and stopped in to kill some time before we went out to dinner in J.P. I loved the selection of vintage clothing and was really pleased to see how they separated sizes from XS to XL. It's hard for me to sort out the really petite clothing so their organization made shopping much easier. I ended up buying a cool sweater while my husband found cool vintage copper colored chords and a brown checkered wrangler shirt. The staff/owners were AWESOME. And, they had a sale, everything 20% off with the third item 50% off. I'm definitely going to trek out to J.P. more often :) read more

Came here from the South End which was a bit of hike but well-worth the trip. I think this is the best vintage store I've visited in the Boston area. Although small, I combed through the store for 45 minutes and still didn't see everything. I also didn't leave empty-handed, despite being very picky. It was hard to pass up the beautiful pieces I found when the pricing was so reasonable. As another reviewer mentioned, this store has a lot of 60s and 70s vintage. I wouldn't come here looking for designer brands, but rather one-of-a-kind, well-loved and eclectic pieces. The owner was very nice as well. I will definitely be back! read more

Probably the best vintage clothing store in Boston. Specializing primarily in 60s and 70s clothes, this little hole-in-the-wall has a pretty excellent selection, and will arm you in plaid shirts forever. Prices are pretty reasonable, and they frequently have 50% off sales. If you're looking for something specific, ask the staff, because apparently, there is a huge warehouse somewhere where they store the majority of the year 1965. read more

This store makes me smile! funky and fun! Enthusiastic and knowledgeable staff. The organization was incredible as was the selection of sizes and styles. I Found a fabulous, boldly colored, vintage, designer skirt made from polished cotton with ric rac trim that happened to be on sale and was in pristine condition. The selection appears to span 1950s-80s with a 60s-70s concentration. I could see that i wasn't going to make a dent in all this tiny trove has to offer in the short amount of time I had to spend. Boots, Jewelry etc.!!!!!!!!!! I will certainly be back when i can really dive into all the nooks and crannies. Great selection of vintage duds for guys and gals looking to compliment their unique style. GO VINTAGE!!!!!! read more

This is by far one of the best vintage clothing shops EVER. The clothes are so unique and such good quality. The best thing about it is that the prices are very resonable - I vertnure to even say a bargain! I've bought sunglasses, pants, a wallet, belts, necklaces,etc and would have paid more for every item. The people who there there are super friendly too and they dont try to push items on you... they're honest if you ak their opinion. I bought a vintage wallet that had a pen mark on it, and wihtout me even mentioning the mark, the lady helping me made it 50% off because of the pen mark (i didnt even notice it!). Everyone is so great and they get new stuff in all the time. If you like unique vintage clothes, you'll never go anywhere else. I love love LOVE this shop. read more

So this place is pretty dope. I always find something. The vintage clothes are great. The place is kind of small but stocked full of everything you can imagine. I also found boots that I had been looking for forever. I walked in and there they were! The place is also in a sweet location as it is in between my work and house. Awesome! Go here : ) read more

Cool vintage clothing you would actually wear. I've bought a few great, reliable shirts from here, and my girlfriend loves it too. The kind of stuff that hangs in your closet and you grab at first sight to feel comfortable. Stuff isn't GoodWill cheap, but everything is much higher quality. The couple running it will also remember you and order you things if you tell them your preferences. Some interesting jewlery too, if you are in the market for some original artsy shit. read more

I love this place, although I don't very often find something to buy. It can be one of those, "check in frequently for new things to find just a few that might be your treasure" type of places. In order for me to really like a vintage/consignment place, it has to be organized. So many are not. But 40 South is. The space is a bit cramped, but organized. No clunky racks of random clothes that you have to sort through. They have men's clothes as well as women's, which was a huge surprise to me. So many of these types of stores just focus on women. Score a star for that. Quality is also key. Are the clothes run down, Goodwill style? Or are they well kept, well maintained vintage? The answer for 40 South, is that it is good quality. Sometimes vintage stores are out of my price range. Okay, a lot of times. Especially for quality pieces. So, when you find good stuff at a good price, you know that the store is a winner. With vintage, it can be hard to find clothes that aren't a size 2 or 0. Women were just much smaller back in the day! (or at least used devices to make themselves appear smaller). So many times I go to vintage stores a longingly look at a million size 2 dresses that I wish I could fit into. A size 24 waist I am not. But at 40 South there is a wide selection of sizes. My friend found a pair of snakeskin cowboy boots here for $65. Great condition, looked incredible on her. She said those same type of boots would have gone for well over $100 in other places. Many of the adorable dresses I saw were in the $25-$40 range. Not bad. Other shoes were about $35. This is great stuff that you can afford. The last thing of note is that the employees are fantastic. Friendly, willing to give fashion advice (spot on I may add), and you can tell they love the store. read more

This store used to be called Gumshoe and it was the place in the early 90's to find eclectic T's ;rock t-shirts and small to medium men's button down vintage shirts-they also had the best edited selection of levi cords and vintage jeans at great prices. There was NOT a great amount of stuff for the girls. I always loved wearing cords and cool t-shirts so I always loved going with my boyfriend. Well Hilken Mancini has taken the gem that was Gumshoe to a Whole Rockin new level-this store is fun and organized and clean-I have never seen an item with a stain in ten years of going there. I once brought a 70's white leather jacket that I tried on,saw it was 35$ and immediately brought it up to the counter only to have Hilken painstakingly point out every flaw in the lining and a small tear in the pocket. This is not because she knows me-we have mutual friends that go back 20 years-this is because she puts 100% of herself into everything she does, including owning and running 40-she has the eyes of an artist, swirly dazzling seeing more than most people ever do and this store is what the DIY spirit that she embodies looks like when a project is well executed. Not everyone is gonna appreciate it or even like it. it is sort of like Kathleen Hanna. Hilken is Boston's Kathleen Hanna but her voice is a bit different. Come as you are to her store. I bet you will leave with something great! read more

i got my wedding ring here!!!! the pretty lady that works here is so cool and she loves the L word read more

This place is a gem. A well-curated shop with high quality vintage items and good prices. The front is all women's clothing and the back is all men's. The owner is also really nice. One of my favorite vintage shops in Boston. read more

The best vintage store I've been to since moving to Boston from California 1.5 years ago. I miss California - but definitely thankful for this place. read more

A haven for reasonably priced, wearable vintage clothing. Mostly from the 50s-70s. Make sure to check out the hat boxes where all the slips, etc. are hidden! I always find what I am looking for, and have found some of my favorite wardrobe staples there. The staff is friendly, accommodating and cool. The vibe is unpretentious. It is a great neighborhood business! read more

Stumbled upon this place today and had a great shopping experience! The service was helpful without being invasive or pushy, and the layout was organized, with pieces from different decades, in good condition. I walked out with the perfect dress for a wedding i'm attending, and a couple of other items I couldn't resist! Definitely returning:D read more

Since when did they change their name, i need to go in there now and see whats going on. ok people this little shop is called GumShoe and its one of JP's little retro vintage shops. for indie rockers peeps and such. its badass. and they have tons i mean tons of courdory. and denim jeans. the prices are a wee bit expensive. and they have tons of cowboy boots. and their only open 4 days a week. cuz there just cool like that. read more

The quintessential vintage boutique! I feel like I've walked through some hatch-grated time machine whenever I enter this utopia of nostalgia. From the employees to the decor, you are subject to vintage cool bliss. Some of the items are even updated to fit better and look more modern. You'll want every sunglasses (straining in sunlight causes wrinkles friends!); every lizard skin cowboy boot from when your mama was protesting on the Washington Mall; every plaid, gingham, polyester, and Swiss eyelet item you pass your H&M weary/ mass-produced hands over. The hours can be a little disappointing if you've been hungering for a "piece" all week, but if you happen to be aboard a sweaty and crowded 39 bus and pass by some sort of tiny, brightly colored sundress waving in the breeze like a beacon of "Reduce Reuse Recycle", be sure to hop off at the next stop and scurry through that hatch-gated door lickety-split! read more

I love this place. I've been by it many times and finally went in. First, the music they place is GREAT! Makes me wanna hang out. The clothes are fantastic; tons of women's and men's too. I got a nice pair of frye boots for the fiance. The staff is super friendly and no attitudes; nice change from some vintage stores. I love the jewelry here; big selection, funky, fun, and very fairly priced. I would go back for that alone. :) read more

Quaint store with awesome clothes! Went here a couple of weeks ago and was amazed at the selection of clothes that Forty offers. End up purchasing 2 scarfs at affordable prices - yay! Will definitely return when I'm next in town . . . read more

I love this place, amazing vintage finds. I've bought some of my favorite dresses here. Also, nabbed a cute 50's bathing suit for under $20. And their sales are pretty awesome as well. Be friends with them on facebook so you get all the news on new stock & sales. read more

Hilken (one of the owners) is super sweet. She has a great eye. No crap in there. Amazing boots, dresses, shirts, jackets! Their prices are very reasonable and they are always having sales. The shop is small but loaded with only specially picked garb. Definitely go in if you are a fan of vintage. Staff is always super chill and helpful. read more

Love it. Great selection & quality, reasonable prices - and frequent sales on top of that, and a friendly staff. What more could you want?

All the wonderful, oh-so-carefully curated vintage clothes tempted, but in the end I succumbed to a cool old biker pin. Proprietor Hilken is a long-time JP habituée known for her rock'n'roll girls band camp (but one of amongst many talented hats she dons), and was knowledgeable and personable. Happy to see this quirky, "quintessential JP" store that's reigned on this street for decades continues to thrive under her captaincy. read more